Jewelry was an essential element of the Chanel look. The fashion designer’s deceptively simple garments offered the perfect canvas for bold jewelry. Inspired by the colorful mosaics of Empress Theodora that she saw at the Basilica San Vitali in Ravenna, Italy, Chanel began working with Gripoix to create Byzantine-style jewels, using pâte-de-verre enameling. Like camelia flowers, pearls, quilted handbags, and two-toned shoes, the Maltese cross became part of the Chanel lexicon. This brooch was made in the years between Gabrielle Chanel’s death in 1971 and the appointment of Karl Lagerfeld as creative director in 1983. During those years, the house borrowed from the enduring style Chanel cultivated during her decades-long career in fashion.